


Magnetism

by magicalbean



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: 2 am fantasy fulfillment, Comfort, M/M, Pain Kink, Smut, a little blood, julian smashes that get rowdy button
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 15:58:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15174230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicalbean/pseuds/magicalbean
Summary: Life and death. One extreme evokes the other. Only indulgence in life can ever truly match the weight of death. And so, the apprentice and the doctor indulge.Slight spoilers for XII.





	Magnetism

**Author's Note:**

> Hi I'm back on my bullshit with more date sim garbage. I attempted to proofread this but it's literally 2 AM so uh... Anyway. Enjoy!

Each exhale gusts against my ear. Rattling like dry branches, unsteady as a baby's first steps. But each one comes more easily than the last, and Julian slowly blinks up at me. His narrow face sits in my palms, his half lidded eye just above my thumb.

"We should go," he says, but not with the same bravado as before. "They'll be waiting for us."

It will take time for Asra to prepare. For such a risky spell, he'll take any precautions. And... I think he's buying us some time.

"A little longer," I whisper back.

It doesn't take much to convince Julian. My legs are spread over his lap, his hands on my hips, and when he realizes that I have no intention of getting up, he pulls me into an embrace. Both of his arms wrap around my back with fingertips pulling longingly towards my shoulders. Julian nuzzles his nose against my collar and in breathes in the smell of my clothes. I can feel his heart beating against my chest. Cradling his head against me, I slip my free hand through the dip in his shirt.

"This is what I want," I tell him. "This feeling, here. I want to wake up with your heartbeat against my ear, and your breath in my hair, and your body warm against mine." Julian lifts his head. His eye shimmers. "Every day for the rest of my life," I promise.

"You're not making this easy," he says, but he can't bring himself to sound harsh.

"That's the point."

He has to understand. Whatever happens, whatever we see, however we might fail -- Julian needs to know. He doesn't see in himself what I see so plainly: his kindness, his compassion. His humanity. He deserves to start fresh.

Julian deserves to live.

If all it took was dragging him back from the gates of hell, I would do it. But unless Julian wants to come out of this ordeal alive, he'll be beyond my help.

I can't let that happen.

Our mouths brush together. Once, softly. Then again. And again, longer than before, and Julian seems to want to melt into me. His lips stay parted, my name falls from between them, and he flushes.

"I... I want this, too. I want you to be mine. Always..." He trails off, gaze slipping from my eyes to my lips. "So please don't give up on me."

"Never."

We'll see this through. Together. We'll find the answers, we'll come out victorious. Years from now, we'll look back on these moments and laugh at ourselves for thinking we might not get our happy ending. I push him down against the guest bed, and he takes me with him. Fervent sighs escape him whenever we part. Not for the first time, I notice that our fooling around has riled him up. My thigh brushes against the stiff protrusion in his pants, and Julian sniffs hard at the sensation. He mumbles something against my chin. I lean back an inch and angle my thigh against him again. My hips shift over his pelvis, thigh dragging between his legs again, and he throws his head back against the mattress.

He forms just one word: "Don't."

I push myself up, keeping little contact between our bodies. "Julian?"

His lower lip disappears beneath his teeth, and fingers twitch against my legs. Julian closes his eye almost as if it pains him to speak. "If we start like this, I won't want to stop."

I brush loose curls from his face with a hint of a smile. "Is that all?"

"I'm serious," he says. "I do want you. I want this -- but, well -- like this, it feels like more of a... a desperate goodbye."

"It's the opposite. It's an incentive." He gapes up at me. "Just a taste of what you have to look forward to when all of this is done, and you come out of it whole." Still, I angle myself up and the tips of my toes press to the floor. "But if you'd rather not get distracted, that's okay. We can wait."

I stand upright and straighten my clothes to hide any evidence from our company. But Julian doesn't move. I extend a hand to help him up. He doesn't take it. Julian's face contorts with an emotion I can't name, and just as a question of concern reaches my throat, his voice drowns me out. "Oh, who am I kidding!" One firm hand wraps around my wrist and he pulls me back down on top of him. Our teeth knock together gracelessly, but he doesn't even seem to care. Not that I do, either. I smile through the messy motions, as he does when we part just enough to see one another. Long fingers dig into my clothes and make short work of pulling them off. Piece by piece, I'm exposed before him. A hem catches against my ankle and I need to lift myself up to pull it free. I drop the cloth to the floor and then, I grow very much aware of _how_ exposed I am. Color stains my cheeks, but Julian's face puts the rose garden to shame. All the air goes out of his lungs. Supple leather grazes over my bare thighs, swirling over my hips, exploring the shape of my stomach. "You are a vision, my dear."

I take his hand in mine; it stills, and a flicker of anxiety crosses his features, silently asking if he'd done something wrong. But I am not about to reprimand him. Instead, I catch the edge of his glove and peel it off. I do the same to the other and guide both of his bare hands to touch my body once more. His touch is cool, fingers like satin and pearls. A fluttery moan escapes my open mouth; I can't resist it. Julian hardly needs my encouragement, but I lead his touch where I want to feel him most. Slim hands lavish my chest. Shaking fingertips pluck at a nipple, and I arc into his hand. He's soft, gentle, exploring with a palpable fear of being too rough. "I like that." My voice is unsteady but I know he heard me. Julian swallows hard.

"You... ah... like it like this?" He rolls my nipple between his forefinger and thumb. "Or was it more like--?" The tip of a nail pinches into the sensitive flesh and I gasp. And the movement I make against him, or the sound of my voice, or the blush spreading down my neck -- whatever it is, Julian can't help but react. I'm reminded of his own aching need as it throbs beneath me, tangible even through his pants with how firmly I'm sitting on him. Part of me wants to just rip his clothes off, but Julian's other hand finds my erection and the thought flees my mind. I stutter at the sensation, bare and new, against me. It's swollen and stiff and I'm acutely aware of Julian's cool touch. My whole body melts in sweet relief.

"Please," he begs in the softest voice. "You're always so good to me. Let me take care of you. Please..."

The _want_ in his voice -- how could I ever say no? I want to give him all the pleasure in the world, but I'm understanding more and more about Julian with each encounter. He _is_ getting off on this -- on getting _me_ off. Still shaking hands guide my core forward and I crawl over him until my knees are nearly level with his shoulders. His tongue peeks out between his lips, one palm presses to the small of my back, and I bend at the waist to lean on my palms. Heat brims at the surface of my skin when I realize what he means -- what he wants.

A warm breath tickles the line of hair below my navel, and Julian lifts his head to meet the head of my cock. His tongue swipes the tip, and a satisfied sigh passes through his nose. I can barely see his face from the angle. But if I could, I don't think I'd be able to hold it together. It's almost more than I can take just to hear the noises he makes, and feel him licking me like I'm one of the Countess's sweet sorbets. But I want more. It feels like I've waited years for this, not days. I grab a handful of his hair and groan, "Suck it." Ever pliant, Julian takes me in his mouth and draws a slow, hard pull on the head of my cock.

And yet, he's tentative. Exploring. We'll have time for this later, I tell myself. Next time. There will be a next time.

With one swift motion, I rock my hips back and roll them down, pressing into Julian's needy mouth. It tugs a noise from him; he scrabbles at me to pull me closer and I know he liked it, too. Again, I roll my hips. My cock sinks past his lips, glides over his tongue. He's so careful of his teeth, and he gives me a long, wide lick. Shudders run through my body. Down my back, my thighs, my shoulders. "Julian," I moan into the sheets. " _Julian_..." He tilts his head to the side to keep me from ramming into his nose, and I take it as an invitation to thrust harder. He's salivating, his moans muffled, grabbing desperately wherever he can reach. Once more he finds my nipples, gently pinching them both while he takes an especially deep slurp of my cock. It takes more strength than I thought I had to keep my noises smothered into the mattress. I don't need half the guards to come running for my room, thinking the guilty doctor was torturing me.

I wrench his arms up by the wrists and pin them both to the sheets. Using my hold on them as leverage, I push myself up to see Julian's face. He's flushed from the tips of his ears all the way down to his neck, probably further if his shirt wasn't hiding the rest of him from my sight. He cracks an eye open and gazes up at me. Full of adoration, of satisfaction, of want. I'm crumbling. I can't hold on. But I want more. I thrust once more, deep, so deep I can feel the back of his throat. And I pull out totally dazed.

Julian, breathless, lays unmoving. He doesn't even shift his arms from over his head no matter that I'm not pinning them anymore. Unsteady, I sit back on his chest and whip my head around the room. I spot a pitcher of water on the nightstand, and I reach out with my magic. Transmuting simple liquids from one to another isn't especially difficult, and all it takes is a pass of my hand for the contents to ripple in the jug. I dip my fingers in and pull them out dripping wet.

"I, er... oh. Oh, no. I really don't think you'll want to use water for--"

"Julian, I know what I'm doing," I tell him, a chuckle bubbling through. I wiggle my fingers at him. "Magic, remember?"

A drop splatters to his leg and Julian swipes his fingers over it. A grin lights his face. "Clever boy. And here I thought we'd need to make an odd request for room service."

I can only imagine what Nadia would think of me if she caught wind of such a request. Luckily, she'll never find out... Well. Unless the servants tell her about the state of the sheets.

The gentle break helps me breathe. I'm still unsteady and my hands shake, but I find the courage to take a deep breath and reach my hand back. My fingers slip down over my entrance and glide across it. Slow and gentle first. I know I shouldn't rush but it's not easy to resist when all I want is to feel Julian inside of me. One at a time, the oil helps me work my fingers inside, and I lean heavily with one palm pressed on Julian's chest.

"God," comes his frail whisper. "Oh _god_ , please..." It's like I'm fingering him instead of myself with the way he squirms, and I have to admit it's a pleasant sight. Next time, I tell myself again. Next time we'll try that. He sits up, knocking me off of my rhythm, and he grabs the pitcher by the rim to dip his own fingers in. It nearly topples the container right off of the nightstand. "Let me," he begs against my throat. "Please let me...?"

Giving him a little nod, I pull my own hand out. And without a moment to spare, Julian replaces my touch with his own. His middle finger slips in, presses all the way to the knuckle, and my mouth falls open for a single long, airy moan. I lift one hand to my mouth to stifle any more noises, and the other drags Julian to my chest by the hair at his nape. His eye closes and he rests his head on me, nuzzling into my neck. "You're warm," he hums. "And, mmm... so soft... Tell me how you like it. Show me how to please you."

"Forward," I pant against his hair. "Curl it f-forw-- oh, _fuck_ , Julian -- _Julian!_ "

He curls his two fingers, strokes me, languid and smooth and --

"I need you now. Right _now_ \-- _fuck_ , my god..."

Julian lifts face, amusement and surprise coloring his arousal. But I catch him off guard when I climb off of his lap. I grab the hem of his shirt, what little of it is still tucked into his pants, and yank it up to his armpits. He is quick to catch on, lifting his arms so I can keep pulling. But I stop for a moment with the top around his elbows, the collar still over his eyes. I steal a greedy kiss and sink my teeth into his lower lip. A copper tang reaches my nose first, then my tongue, and Julian groans desperately. I pull back to see his swollen lip heal over. Julian licks the blood from his teeth and his throat bobs when he swallows. I toss his shirt aside, and he's dazed. Swaying ever so slightly. "That's it, darling," he breathes. Our lips meet again. "You can be rough with me."

"I _can_ be?" I tease him. "Or you _want_ me to be?"

His eye goes wide for a moment, and then he grins. "Both, of course. Try to leave a mark on me. Something that lasts long enough for me to really enjoy it."

A thrill of excitement runs down my back. I sift my fingers through Julian's curls in a gentle caress. And using the leverage, I pull his head to the side and dive for the throat. I'm drawn to the muscle he's pointed out before, and my teeth scrape across the surface. I pull harder, nipping hard at his collarbone. The little red swell disappears in a blink. So I go deeper, and I dig my nails into his chest. Dragging them down, I feel his skin raise under each furrow. He throws his head back. "Yes," he gasps at the ceiling. "Please -- more." I oblige again and again. I haven't forgotten my own desires, but torturing Julian -- it's an incomparable rush. I crosshatch the scrapes along his stomach, clamp my teeth down on his nipple, suck red bruises into his chest. Nothing lasts, it never does, yet Julian is a mess. His hand twitches towards his crotch. He hesitates, though. Waiting for permission. I kiss him softly and work on the button and zipper at his waist. Leaning him back, I tug off each of his boots first, and then his pants.

And I take my time absorbing every last detail. Every hidden freckle, every thatch of hair, every smoothly curving muscle. He swallows, averting his eyes, and tries to make some raunchy joke. It falls apart between stuttering lips and he clears his throat. I slip my hand into the pitcher again. This time, I reach for Julian's cock. Slippery fingers curl around the shaft and he shifts his attention to my hand. My thumb glides up the underside and rubs the taut tendon just under the head. Julian whimpers, spreads his legs a little wider, and leans back on his palms. Oil spreads from my palm to slake the tip of his cock, and drips down his length. "You're good at this," he mumbles. I get a solid grip and stroke him, clenching tight at the bottom and releasing towards the top. I'm rewarded by a fresh blush. "So good."

But there's more I want us to enjoy, and we're running out of time. I press my hand flat on his chest and lean him back onto his elbows. Julian watches, his legs hanging off of the bed, as I crawl back onto his lap. Only this time there are no barriers between us. Nothing. This feeling of vulnerability -- for once, it feels liberating. I angle his cock carefully, lower myself, and the tip gently splits me open. As much as I want to shut down every other sensation to focus on the most overpowering one, I can't bring myself to look away from Julian. Broken whispers of my name escape him. He's nearly vibrating underneath me. A great sigh of relief pushes free from my throat, and I drop my head while Julian fills me up. For a moment, just one, it's enough just to enjoy the sensation. To savor the look of him in the moonlight. Again, I remember we only have so much time, and I work myself up to a careful ride.

It takes so much out of me, I'm panting in no time at all, but it feels so wonderful that I just can't stop. He tries to cup my neck or my face, but I slam both of his arms down to the mattress again. "No," I tell him. "My turn." It's gutteral, but he understands. Hell, he revels in it. "Yes. Whatever you want. Whatever you need." He flashes me a delirious smile. "God, yes... You're so good to me. I want you to use me -- I'm yours, I'm yours, just take--"

I grab him by the chin. "Stop talking."

His lips curve in a wide smile, teeth dragging over his lower lip. As amusing as I find his babbling, I want him to focus on the pleasure. And he's happy enough to comply. So I reward him.

When I take him in, I sit down even further. His coarse hair prickles against my slicked skin, but it's so satisfying. He moans, bites his own tongue to keep from speaking. And I want to make it even harder for him. I shift on my knees. Breathing ragged, eyes swimming, I ride him hard -- and fast -- and it's seconds before I'm cursing over the creaking bed frame. My cock is hypersensitive. I cry out into the night, too weak to care about how loud I am anymore. I can barely multitask, but I don't even need to keep it up for long. Aching moans fall against Julian's chest, and with bone-deep shudders, my release spills out through my fingers. Drips down Julian's stomach and navel, and I'm horribly flushed when I lift my head to look at him.

I can barely move. But when he kisses me, I manage to return it. I have no strength left in me, nothing, and Julian tosses me beside him on the mattress. He rolls over me, forgetting my earlier command. "You're incredible," he breathes into my ear. "Stunning. Mmmn, I can't..." He pushes his cock back into me with one knee on the bed and his other foot arching up from the floor. My legs instinctively wrap around his waist. "Julian," I groan. He lifts me up, thrusts frantic and desperate and raw. "Finish for me -- Julian... _Julian_ , now, come _now_ \--"

He nearly chokes on his gasp, his jumbled affirmatives. I can feel him throbbing inside of me, and the last thrust presses into me so deeply that it curls me back. And Julian holds the position, eye closed tight, his climax stealing sense from him. Open mouthed panting and soft auburn locks tickle my throat. My heart is still galloping in my chest when I cup his jaw to lift his face to mine.

"Was it good? Are you all right?" Julian mumbles between kisses.

"Better than all right," I promise him. "Julian, that was amazing."

He can't resist a smile, albeit one more dreamy than usual. " _You_ were amazing." His kisses leave me feeling so full. Full of love, and of him, and of hope. "You _are_ amazing," he corrects himself in a whisper.

Arms wind around me, pulling me in for the sweetest embrace. I stroke his hair and listen to his pulse slowing back to normal. It's... it's nice. I love this feeling. I love it as much as I love every moment I get to spend with him. As much as I want to just hold him and fall asleep, we don't have the luxury. When Nadia told us to take all the time we needed, I... don't think she really thought we would be gone quite this long.

Or maybe she did, and that's why we were left undisturbed. I can't be certain. I know Asra will tease me for sure.

Julian and I help one another clean up and collect our clothes. I tuck in his shirt and he fixes my hair. It's slow, our touches lingering. Even with all of my bites and scratches healed over, I'm sure any passerby would know Julian just had a rough night. I'm afraid to look in a mirror and see myself in a worse state.

We're quiet. And I realize it's because we're both coming to the swift realization that our time has run out. I try to tell myself again, _this isn't the end_. A horrible thought I just can't shake lingers in the back of my head:

_But what if it is?_

He slips his hand through mine. Fingers interlock, and he presses my knuckles to his lips. "Ready, my dear?"

I nod and try to steady my breath. Together, we're stronger. We can face anything. Even death creeping in our shadows.


End file.
